Mark Robins has added two more players to his quickly growing Coventry City squad, taking his tally of new recruits to six.

Goalkeeper Liam O’Brien became the Sky Blues ’ fifth signing of the close season, joining the club just ahead of young centre-back Dominic Hyam.

Here’s the lowdown on Robins 's latest acquisition, a shot stopper with a reputation for saving penalties:

The early years:

Born in Ruislip, West London, O’Brien started his football career as a striker with Ruislip Rangers, one of the longest established youth football clubs in Middlesex, before switching to a goalie as emergency cover, revealing that he “started off as a pretty average striker and then I wasn’t getting into the team. The team were playing a tournament and didn’t have a goalkeeper so I had a try. Once I went in I liked it and did quite well.”

Boyhood dream:

He went on to sign schoolboy terms at Championship side Queens Park Rangers, the club he supports.

Switch to Pompey:

After failing to sign scholarship terms at QPR, O’Brien signed a three-year contract with Premier League side Portsmouth in February 2008, having previously had trials at Manchester United, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Sunderland and Arsenal. But he opted to join Pompey and the opportunity of training with then-England international goalkeeper David James.

Portsmouth Director Of Youth operations Paul Hart commented at the time that, “in the present climate there are few decent young English goalkeepers, but for a young boy Liam is mature and confident.”

O’Brien received his first call into the first team squad as an unused substitute for a 4-1 league defeat to Liverpool in March 2010. He was named on the bench for two more Premier League games during the same campaign. Following Portsmouth’s relegation, O’Brien became a squad regular and was an unused substitute for five Championship and League Cup games. However, after a brief spell on loan at Conference side Eastbourne Borough, his contract was terminated by manager Steve Cotterill in October 2010 and he left the club, having failed to make a senior appearance.

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The shot stopper began training with League Two side Barnet and impressed enough to earn a contract in January 2011, and going on to make his Football League debut in a 3–1 win over Bradford City. O’Brien battled it out with Jake Cole and on loan Sam Walker for the No.1 shirt and made eight appearances during the remainder of the 2010/11 season. However, new manager Lawrie Sanchez used him mainly as backup to new first-choice keeper Dean Brill and he only made 11 appearances during the 2011/12 season.

Liam O'Brien in full flight against Tranmere during his spell with Dagenham and Redbridge in League Two

The arrival of Graham Stack and Sam Cowler further pushed O’Brien down the pecking order and he went out on loan to non-league Hastings United in January 2013 after first choice keeper Matt Armstrong-Ford picked up a knee injury just before the club’s FA Cup third round tie against Championship side Middlesbrough. O’Brien saved a penalty from Ishmael Miller but Hastings eventually fell to a 4–1 defeat, and the player’s loan was then cut short due to a groin injury.

Following Barnet’s relegation to the Conference Premier in May 2013 he was released by the club, having made 23 appearances during his two and a half years at The Hive Stadium.

Brentford:

He went from the League Two Bees of North West London to the then League One Bees of Greater London but failed to make a single first team appearance at Griffin Park before joining Dagenham and Redbridge.

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O’Brien signed a two-year contract with League Two Dagenham and Redbridge in May 2014 and faced his former side Brentford in the League Cup First Round where his team lost 4-2 on penalties after a 6-6 thriller. He made 34 of his 39 appearances at the club in League Two but was released along with eleven other players when The Daggers were relegated to the National League.

Liam O'Brien denies Birmingham City's Peter Lovenkrands during his time with Barnet in the Captial One League Cup 1st Round, at the St Andrews in 2012.

Pompey part-two:

He re-joined Portsmouth last summer on a one-year deal, providing back-up for first choice David Forde and was on the bench for 45 of the title winning side’s 46 League Two games last season, earning a champions’ medal. Although manager Paul Cook had indicated he wanted to keep him, O’Brien has opted to join the Sky Blues where he’s expected to compete for the first choice slot rather than spend another year on the bench.

While with Pompey he earned a reputation for being somewhat of an expert at facing penalties, saving six in all in all competitions over the course of the campaign in the Checkatrade Trophy and for Pompey’s Under-23s.

Youth international:

O’Brien was called into the England U-19 squad for a friendly versus the Netherlands in February 2010 and won his one and only cap for his country.

Liam O'Brien in action for Barnet against Birmingham City

Style:

At 6ft 4 inches tall, O’Brien is a commanding and vocal goalkeeper who comes for his crosses and likes to organise his defence. He’s a good shot stopper and has a decent kick on him. At 25 he’s a good age but has still got plenty of development in him.

Friends re-united:

O’Brien played with fellow new recruit and centre-half Dominic Hyam at Dagenham and Redbridge, and the pair were briefly together at Pompey at the start of last season where they trained with skipper Michael Doyle.